Residents of the Historic Side of The Villages are nervously watching as rain continues to raise water levels and flooding is becoming a real threat.
Richard St. Amant has lived for about 20 years on Debra Drive. His home on Lake Paradise is being threatened by flooding.
It’s a bit of deja vu as he painfully recalls his home was flooded in the wake of Hurricane Irma in 2017. Once again, he is concerned that The Villages is not paying attention to the plight faced by he and his neighbors.
St. Amant painfully remembers the flooding experienced seven years ago when Irma drenched The Villages. The Historic Side was particularly hard hit, and even the golf cart bridge providing passage over U.S. Hwy. 27/441 had to be closed due to flooding.
St. Amant’s home sustained $26,000 in damage in the wake of Hurricane Irma.
Once again, streets are flooding on the Historic Side and passage on some on some of the roadways is becoming tricky.
The District Government on Friday announced the closing of numerous golf courses for stormwater mitigation. The retention ponds are at very high levels due to all of the recent rain. Therefore, trying to drain down the ponds is a priority.
However, residents of the Historic Side say they have seen no evidence that Lake Paradise is being pumped down. If it isn’t, their homes could be in danger of flooding.
